Brick-stack lifter



April z8. 1925.

P. A. MEEHAN BRICK STACK LIFTER Filed De. 18, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l Hl Q. J www""in"Hllumlllllllllllllllnlm- I mw 1f 1 i5 li I7 Qf/E L I i MJ n sla sla als sla 1 "NEN-TOR www 1 BY. I gg! W4', mommy Aril 23, 1925. 1 A 1,535,430 P. A. MEEHAN -y BRICK STACK LIFTER luyENTuR BY T. #MW 4k/M 7&3 ArroRnEv Y Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

UNITED STATE A 1,535,430 PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL A. MEEHAN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN DRESSLER TUNNEL KILNS, INC., 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BRICK-STACK LIFTER.

Application filed December 18, 1920. Serial No. 431,577.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, PAUL A. MEEHAN, citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, and useful Improvements in Brick-Stack Lifters, of which the following is a speci-v ication.`

The object of my present invention is to provide an improved device for lifting and transporting stacks of brick or the like. My invention was primarily devised for and is especially adapted for removing stacks of spaced apart dried unburned bricks from the cars or trucks on which they are moved through a drying kiln, and placing them on cars or trucks for moving them through burning kilns. The invention is not `restricted to such use, however, but is generally useful in handling articles assembled in stacks.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, the advantages possessed by it, and specic objects attained with it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device;

Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a partial section of one of the parts of the device.

The brick lifting device or carrier shown in the drawings comprises a rigid boX-like frame or body A rectangular in horizontal section, and open at its under side. As shown the body A is formed of metal plates and bars, and is provided at its top with a lifting ear A at each corner adapted for chain or link connection to a crane or analogous hoisting or transfer mechanism. Associated with the frame A are two sets of brick lifting lingers B which, in the brick lifting condition of the device, project horizontally inward from opposite sides of the frame A, and then form a grid iron-like bottom for the frame adapted to support a brick stack have invented certain new enclosed by the frame. As shown the ingers B of each set are rigidly connected at their outer ends by members B and B2. The bottom edge of each nger B rests upon a corresponding support D, and a roller guide E is provided for the top edge of each finger B. The roller guides Il are farther from the center of the frame A than the bearings D so that the weight of the brick carried by the inner end of each finger B is balanced by the thrust exerted on the outer end of the finger by the corresponding guide roller E. To insure the proper alignment of the fingers B and to compensate for wear each roller guide E is advantageously journalled in an adjustable support F. As shown each support F is provided with an undercut guideway F receiving a corresponding vertical T guide G carried by a portion Cr of the body A, and each roller support F may be vertically adjusted into and secured in any desired adjustment by means of a stud bolt I-I threaded into the upper end of the support F and passing through a horizontal shelf-like portion of the member Cr and lock nuts on the studH engaging the upper and lower sides of the shelf-like portion of the member Gr.

Each connected group of brick receiving fingers B is provided at each end with a bar C having rack teeth on its upper edge. The bars C bear on roller guides I and stationary yguides J secured to the outer side ofthe body A. The rack teeth on the two bars C of each group of lifting fingers are in mesh with gear wheels K carried by a corresponding shaft K journalled in the frame A. As shown each shaft K also carries at one end of the machine a large gear wheel K2 in mesh with a small gear' wheel L carried by a countershaft L journalled in the frame A and having its outer end L2 squared for engagement by a. suitable operating device for rotating'the shaft L and therebyV the gear wheels K to advance or retract the corresponding lingers B. Toi thus rotate the shaft L I may advantageously employ the known form of reversible ratchet lever M shown in Fig. 5. The lever M has journalled in its hub portion, a member P formed with a squared aperture or socket P to lit over the squared end of the shaft L', and is provided at its periphery with ratchet teeth P2. These teeth are engaged by a sliding pawl O mounted in the lever M. The lever M may be mounted on the shaft L with either side of the lever facing the frame A, and may thus be employed to rotate the shaft L in one direction or the other, according to which side of the leverI lil faces the frame A. ln the form illustrated the frame A is provided at each corner with provisions including a cushion spring R working in a housing` Q and a conical bearing surface (35 for engagement without jar or shock by a leveling and centering support S for the carrier A. This support need not be described herein as it forms no part of the present invention and is fully disclosed in a copending application iiled of even date herewith.

ln the intended use of the apparatus, the frame ii is lowered over a stack or stacks of bricks, the fingers B being then retracted. Aafter the frame A is in place, the shafts L are rotated to advance the fingers ll through spaces provided between the supports for the brick above the lingers B.

ln 8 the brick carrier is shown in position to lift the bricks off (or in which it has deposited them on) a kiln car P rovided at it upper sides with bolsters P spaced agar so that they form supports for each end of each brick in the bottom course of stack of brick piled on the car. The brick in the bottoni course run transversely to the supports P and fingers B. The latter are received between the supports P in the condition of the apparatus shown in F 3. Tfivith this arrangement each finger B is disposed centrally beneath the bricks directly supported by the inger. After the lingers ll are advanced beneath the stacks of bricks to be lifted as above described, the brit may be lifted and transferred to another position by manipulating` the lifting or hoisting mechanism. not shown, connected to the ears A. The support on which the bricks deposited by the carrier fr should be formed with brick supports arranged as are the holsters P. These supports may be the bolsters of another kiln car, or they may be formed by suitably7 arranged rows of brick at the top of brick staks or piles on to which the stacks held in the carrier .i are to be placed. Vhen the carrier is lowered into the proper position relative to the supports upon which the brick are to be deposited, the lingers B are retracted and the carrier fr may then be lifted oil" the stacks of brick previously supported by it.

Characteristic advantages of the debrick carrier are its mechanical simplicity and durability, its inherent rigidity, and the provisions whereby the lifting iingers B of each group may be maintained in exact parallelism with one another notwithstanding the wear attending use. The rigidity of the lifting device and the exact parallellism of the lifting fingers in each group is of especial importance in handling dried but unburned brick which do not possess the mechanical strength to prevent deformation and fracture if the bricks in each stack unit are allowed to work or more relatively to one another when the stack is being n'ianipulated. The levelling and centering parts S provided for engagement by the corners of the carrier fr, are of especial value where stacks of unburned brick are to be loaded by the carrier ri on a burning kiln car or other support, they prevent the stack from being lowered onto the support in such fashion that the bricks at any one corner or edge of the stack are Subjected to undue pressure as a result of these bricks engaging the support before the latter is engaged by the bricks at the other corners or edges of the stack.

As shown t e upper edges ot the lifting fingers ll of each group are slightly inclined to the fingers B in the other group to correspond to the inclination of the correspondingl portions of the holsters P or other brick supports. This inclination of the kiln car bolsters P is to cause the two columns of brick on the car to normally incline inwardly toward each other, and thereby reduce the tendency of bricks to fall olf the stacks especially when the brick stacks are distorted by unequal heating and consequent expansion or contraction, as occurs in drying and burning the bricks, especially in the initial stages of the drying and burning operations.

1While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes l have illustrated and described the best forni of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A brick lifting device comprising in combination a hollow frame adapted to surround the bricks to be lifted, two sets of parallel rigid brick supporting lingers mounted in said frame at the opposite sides thereof and longitudinally movable toward and away from one another in straight lines into and out of the positions in which they jointly vextend across said frame, and mechanism mounted in the frame for giving said lingers said movements.

2. A brick stack lifting device comprising in combination a hollow frame adapted to surround the bricks to be lifted, a parallel set of brick supporting fingers mounted in said frame and movable into and out of position in which they extend across the frame, and means for so moving said fingers comprising rack bars parallel to, and secured to said fingers at opposite sides of the frame, gears in mesh with said spur gears and a sha-ft connecting said gears.

3. A brick stack lifting device comprising in combination a hollow frame adapted to surround the bricks to be lifted, a parallel set of brick supporting fingers movable into and out of positionin which they extend across the frame, bearings for the upper and lower sides of each finger carried by the frame and means for relatively adjusting the two bearings for each finger to compensate or wear and secure the desired finger alignment.

4. A brick stack lifting device comprising in combination a hollow frame adapted to surround the bricks to be lifted, a parallel set of brick supporting fingers movable into and out of position in which they extend 5 across the frame, a bearing for the lower side of each finger carried by the frame 'and a vertically adjustable bearing for the upper side of each finger engaging the latter at a distance from the interior of' the frame greater than the distance between the interior of the frame and the point at which the bearing for the under side of the finger engages the latter.

5. A brick stack carrier comprising in combination, a hollow frame open at its lower end and adapted to surround stacks of bricks, a parallel set of brick supporting fingers mounted in said frame and hori Zontally movable into and out of positions in which they extend across the brick receiving opening in the frame, the said fingers being rigidly connected at their outer ends, bearings carried by the frame for the under sides of said fingers and roller supports mounted on said frame engaging the upper edges of the fingers.

Signed at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, this fourteenth day of December, A. D. 1920.

PAUL A. MEEHAN. 

